Chase
by t.j.guard
Summary: Tanya, Ian, and Riley are still on the case of Page Forty-seven and the trail of clues that follow, but even though Nathaniel's out of the picture, there's still someone that wants in on the action.
1. Chapter 1

Chase

Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure. The Compass series is mine.

A/N: Set right after Clue

Chapter One

Riley tapped his foot against the air rapidly, humming a tune to himself which really had nothing to do with anything, until a nicely dressed brown-haired woman stepped through the doorway to the Oval Office and said, "The President may see you now."

"Thanks," Riley said. She disappeared down a hall, and he took a deep breath. He stepped into the Oval Office, where the President gestured for him to take a seat, so he did, rather carefully.

"So, Mr. Poole, have you had any luck over the past few days?" the Presidnet asked. "I've heard they've been eventful."

"Well, yeah, guess that happens when your hobby of choice is treasure hunting."

"Well, your 'hobby of choice' has made very rich people out of you and a few of your friends."

"Yeah, and did I tell you about all the times I almost died? Did Ben tell you about how risky all the situations we ended up in actually are?"

"He did not, but I'm sure it'll be in a book or a newspaper or a blog essay somewhere."

"Most likely by me."

The two men chucked for a moment before the President said, "Now, let's get down to business. How much do you know about Page Forty-seven?"

"Not a whole lot. There's a riddle on it, written in what seems like it was supposed to be invisible ink, but someone tried to read it some time ago and it remains visible to this day."

"Very good, and did you find anything in the treasure room?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"I have my sources. So, what did you find."

"Just an inscription that said something like: 'The wisdom always refers to the beginning'."

"Whoever wrote that was a very wise man. You do need to start at the beginning to find what you seek."

"Which poses the question: Which beginning?"

"Check the official history on the Freemasons. It's most likely to be right."

"So, what are we talking about, the first lodge, the first grand lodge, the first grand lodge in the U.S.?"

"Well, this is the Howe family's secret, so my best guess is the answer's somewhere in England."

"Eliminating my third guess."

"Correct." The President leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "You will find the beginning you're looking for. I'm sure of it."

"And if we don't?"

"I must remind you that this is a matter of some importance to the security of this nation."

"Everybody keeps saying that."

"Because they're right."

Riley fidgeted a little, but he refused to pull his gaze from the very powerful man sitting across the desk from him. "So," he said, "what's supposed to be at the end of this?"

"You'll find out. Just follow it to the end, which, in this case, happens to be the beginning. Just remember, the compass points the way."

NTNT

Tanya furrowed her brow and was tempted to ask, "That's it?" Instead, she kept her mouth shut, watching the scene unfold as Riley excused himself and allowed himself to be escorted out of the Oval Office.

"That was boring," Viktor said. "So where do we start? I don't get it. I thought this was supposed to help us."

"So did I," Tanya replied. "Bugging him was useless."

"Well, now we know," Phil said, "and we'll never try that again."

"At least not as a first resort." Tanya fished out her phone and dialled Ian's number. It took a few rings, but he finally answered. "It's completely useless, bugging Riley's pen. We learned nothing," she hissed.

"Then he arranges another meeting and see what we can learn from this one."

"You do realize the President's going to say the exact same thing with different words, don't you?"

"Yes."

"So what's the point of having us decode Page Forty-seven if he refuses to assist?"

"Tanya, perhaps we should take a break. It sounds to me an awful lot like you need it."

"You keep saying that, and lo and behold, something happens to screw everything up."

"Regardless, a little rest never killed anyone."

"And regardless of what you say, I refuse to let my guard down, even though Nathaniel's dead. This could still be a set-up by the most powerful man in this nation."

"You still have this reservation?"

"Why shouldn't I? We've barely learned anything, and I'm beginning to suspect that we simply can't."

"Which is why we should take a break."

Tanya sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You're extremely stubborn, you know."

"Thank you."

She snapped her phone shut without another word, pocketed it, and returned her attention to the living room. "Anyone have any better ideas?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"So, how'd it go?" Ben asked as soon as Riley walked through the door.

"Not as well as I had hoped," Riley replied. "He's not talking."

"Well, there were certain things he wouldn't say to me, either, so we're in the same boat."

"Let's hope this one doesn't blow up on us."

Ben let out a dry laugh and let a corner of his mouth turn up in a half-smile. "Riley, Riley, Riley."

"Did you just triple Riley me?"

Ben rolled his eyes, and Riley shot his friend a dirty look before making his way to the guest bedroom.

NTNT

Ian eased his sportscar up the walkway and parked. He plucked the keys from the ignition, slipped out of his car, and continued up the rest of the walkway on foot, locking the car behind him as he did so. He noticed the breeze was slightly cooler than the previous day, but he paid little attention.

He walked into the mansion and hung his keys on the rack. Phil and Viktor were in the dining room, engaged in a Ninja VS Pirate debate, and Powell was drinking perhaps his third or fourth cup of coffee for the day in the living room, watching a random cop show. He walked up the stairs and tapped lightly on the door to the guest bedroom.

"Yes?" Tanya replied from the other side of the door.

"It's just me."

"Oh, come in."

He slipped inside and sat on the edge of the bed. Tanya was seated at the foot of her bed, staring at the far wall, with her arms wrapped around her knees. "So, how are you?" he asked.

"Other than the fact that I'm absolutely certain something will turn up which will throw this whole endeavor either down the drain or in a whole new direction, I'm just peachy, Ian. How was your day?"

"My day was absolutely fine, save your little report that we learned absolutely nothing from Riley's meeting with the President."

"Oh, that little sweetheart? Not a pleasant one, is it?"

"Quite frankly not, given the circumstances. However, we'll try again, I'll make all the arrangements. All you need to do is spend a few days resting, perhaps resuming Andy's affairs."

"I'm actually considering quitting that job. Being Andy for only eight hours out of twenty-four is becoming increasingly annoying."

"Well, then, I'll let you handle that as you see fit, and I'll take care of the rest. You have nothing to worry about, Tanya." He kissed her hair gently. "Don't worry."

"I'm your sister, Ian, and as you should recall, you now have a criminal record. Tell me again why I shouldn't worry."

"Because I'll take care of everything. You know how good I am at that."

"Until you screwed up and managed to walk away from your attempted theft of the Declaration of Independence empty-handed. Oh, and while I'm on the subject, may I remind you that had you compromised the document, you'd have compromised the map? This is no time for you to take care of everything. I don't know where this ends, but whatever happens next should be handled by an expert."

"That happened but once, and it will not happen again. I can assure you of this."

"And I'll be on the sidelines laughing my arse off when you fail miserably and everything explodes in your face."

"Assuming that does happen."

"Don't expect it not to."

Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes. "Some people's brothers," she mused.

"Some people's sisters," Ian said with an almost identical tone to his sister's. He got to his feet and headed out the door without another word.

NTNT

Tanya had managed to push all concern regarding the current treasure hunt from her mind come tea time the next day. Ian even noted, "You look well."

"Well, I feel well, better than I felt yesterday," Tanya replied, taking a sip of her tea. "I guess you were right. Rest has been good for me."

"Good. You see, I know a few things."

"Of course, ask any average American who reads the New York Times, and they'll tell you Gates is the one who knows everything about everything."

"It sure seems that way sometimes." Ian set his tea cup on its coaster and licked his upper lip, leaning forward and propping himself up on his elbows. "I wonder what they say about me in the London Times."

"Perhaps exactly the opposite of what they say of you here. I didn't check, but it must be archived somewhere."

"That wouldn't surprise me. It's happened before. Just compare history books from the States and England. Two entirely different stories."

"I've noticed that when preparing for my citizenship test."

"The one you took under Tanya Howe?"

"What other name would I take a government test under?"

"Ah, good point."

She took a sip of her tea and set the cup in its saucer. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and my big question has almost always been, why? Why are we doing this, pursuing whatever is at the end of this, and why are they trying to send us back to some form of beginning? If this is an elaborate set-up, then what's the point?"

"You haven't been resting, have you?"

"I have been, but I can't shut my mind off. I'm not a Buddhist monk."

"I'm not asking you to be, and it might be too much to ask of you to take a break from this hunt, since you seem to not be able to stop thinking about it. I just don't want you getting too worked up over something like this. Treasure hunts have been known to kill people."

"Do we need to have this conversation again?" She gave her brother a look which clearly said, "are you serious right now?"

"I'm your brother. Worrying about you is my job, and I don't intend to lose it at this particular point in time."

"Ian, has anyone ever told you exactly how weird you are?"

"You have, on more than one occasion."

"Oh, I must've done it so many times I've lost track. Who's counting, anyway?"

"Exactly."

Ian smirked and looked down at the table right in front of him. Tanya watched him for a moment more before studying the intricate floral pattern on her tea cup. Eventually she took the tea cup in one hand and took a sip of her tea, which had cooled slightly over the course of her conversation with her brother. At about the same time, Ian looked up and glanced out the dining room window, but he saw nothing of interest, so he followed his sister's lead and took a sip of tea.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Riley thumbed through pages of his book before ultimately deciding to scan the index for something having to do with beginnings and Freemasonry, finding his own entry of the official story on page seventy-three. He turned to the page and scanned it until he found what he was looking for, at which time he read carefully. Unfortunately, he'd only contributed one sentence to the official story, as per his editor's suggestion: 'The first Masonic Grand Lodge of which there is record is in London and was founded in 1717.'

He pulled his laptop out of its bag and logged on. When the computer finally decided to cooperate, he clicked on the icon for his Internet browser. When that finally decided to cooperate, he entered his query into the search box. He waited until he could finally scan through link after link, with text samples, but he only needed to scan the first five and find one that seemed promising. His lips curled up in a mischevious smile when he found something interesting. He fished out his phone and, in the manner of one worthy of the title 'Flying Thumbs', texted this tidbit to Tanya.

He recieved a reply almost post haste: 'keep address we might need it'. He put the address in a note to be stored on his phone and returned his attention to the computer, scanning the screen for more useful tidbits. Finding none, he shut his computer off and put it back in its bag. He set his phone on the nightstand and lay back in his bed, hoping almost against hope that his little intervention was enough to get what seemed at first glance like a wild goose chase to come to a recognizable, sane conclusion.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed. When he really thought about everything that happened over the past two months, really since he met Tanya as Andy, he figured he really had it easy. She'd admitted it herself that she thought, more than once, that she was losing her mind, just because her gut feelings were a little more accurate than most other people's and just because she saw him get chased in some kind of vision. So far, the vision hasn't come true, but he really didn't know what would happen within the next week, or month, or however long the rest of this hunt lasted.

He only hoped to be able to survive that long.

NTNT

"Got a tip," Tanya said as soon as she sent out her text message.

"Oh, what is it?" Ian replied.

"Turns out, Riley has an address for the first Grand Lodge, which is somewhere in London."

"The one founded in 1717?"

"The very same. I think that's where we start looking."

"So what do we do about the President?"

"I don't know yet."

Ian walked into the living room and sat next to Tanya on the sofa. She set her phone on the coffee table, next to a notebook and pen. "If he still has the pen, we still have the program."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course. We keep going until we get caught."

"And when we do?"

"Then we pay our dues and figure something else out. That's how we Howes role." Ian smiled softly, and Tanya responded in kind before turning her gaze back down to the notebook on the coffee table. The page it was open to was covered in text, items that've been crossed out heavily and doodles, especially of items of interest, such as the Square and Compass symbol, of which there were multiple copies of varying sizes dotting the page. She studied this page for a few moments before looking down at the carpet.

"Howes are also, at least as far as I can gather through our history, are psychic circus freaks."

"We are, but that's a good thing. It's saved us on more occasions than either of us realize, and that's just independently of each other."

"I know that, but visions-"

"Have you had another one?"

"No, but I worry."

"Which is why perhaps you should rest a little."

"Ian, I know you worry about me, and I know you love me. We're family, siblings. We're Howes. That's the most important thing."

"Yes, it is, more than you realize."

They settled into a comfortable silence, and then a phone started ringing. Ian fished his cell phone out of his pocket and answered with his usual, "Yes?" He walked off into his study, via the kitchen, leaving Tanya alone in the living room with the notebook page of seeming chaos.

NTNT

Ben rubbed his eyes and collapsed into a recliner. Abigail took a seat on the sofa, in the seat closest to him. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Well, I keep thinking, with everything that's happened, maybe it could be one of us next time," Ben replied. "One of us could be the one to die, or maybe Riley, or his girlfriend, or her brother and his men?"

"Ben-"

"It's just that I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Ben, we can't worry about that. We have no idea how this is going to turn out or how long it takes, but we can't spend all our time hoping nothing goes wrong and blaming ourselves when something does."

"Y'know, you know a lot of things."

"Thank you," Abigail said with a slightly smug smile.

Ben turned his eyes toward the floor in an effort to hide the smile on his face, and he shook his head. A small laugh escaped from him, but it was soft, barely audible. Abigail just rolled her eyes. So far, as far as she was concerned, everything was normal.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Agent Sadusky tossed his reading glasses onto the desk and took a sip from what could easily have been his fifth cup of coffee for the day. Things in the FBI building had calmed down some after his team had recovered Nathaniel's body and the coroner identified the cause of death as a gun misfire. The forensics team had determined that the gun had indeed misfired, in something that looked, in his mind, a hell of a lot like a freak accident.

At first he couldn't fully believe it when the team reported they'd found the body in the very room in which the Templar Treasure was found, but what he'd found equally astonishing was the fact that they reported that the floor seemed to have been used as a giant canvas, all to point to a singular inscription: 'The wisdom always refers to the beginning'. It also seemed to be the very inscription the body had been found near. All pieces of a puzzle he had only a very vague hope of solving, without Gates' help, of course.

He fished his phone out of the breast pocket in his jacket, flipped it open, and dialled a number. He pressed the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing, waiting for someone to pick up. When no one did, he sighed, snapped his phone shut, and tossed it onto the desk, alongside his coffee cup, reading glasses, and the evening paper he'd been reading. It wasn't like the evening news had anything in it that he wasn't aware of already on some level.

His cell phone rang, and he answered almost immediately. "FBI. Agent Sadusky."

"You called?" Ben asked from the other end of the line.

"Gates, I know you really like puzzles. Whaddaya know about this one?"

"Whaddaya need to know?"

"I just have a few questions that I need answers to, is all."

"Okay, shoot."

NTNT

Ian walked down the second floor hallway slowly, staring absently into space. Finally, he stopped at a door which looked like it hadn't been opened in years, and honestly, it hadn't. For a long moment, he studied the door before finally reaching out and grasping the doorknob. It felt cold to the touch, and when he turned it, it creaked softly. Even so, the door itself was unlocked, and he pushed it open. The hinges also creaked softly, and the door cut a solid arc in a carpet covered with dust.

He studied the two-bed room beyond the threshold. It seemed as if every surface he could see was covered in a thick layer of dust, and it seemed as if the air was also very heavy with dust. Some of the dust drifted out into the hallway as he'd opened the door, even. He took a deep breath, coughed on some of the dust in the air, and stepped over the threshold.

Despite the sense that the room hadn't seen anyone walk through the door in only God knows how long, for the most part, walking inside felt normal to Ian. He even shut the door behind him, as he used to do. He coughed on inhaling the dusty air, but he recovered himself soon enough.

Besides being dusty, the room was in precisely the same condition in which he'd left it five years prior, when he thought he was going to return that night or within the week to straighten things out. Of course, some things had come up and he never got around to it or had the chance to, but what could one expect?

He took a few steps into the room and studied his surroundings, amazed at how exactly everything was placed, given the slight breeze coming from the window, which was open about half an inch. The curtains stirred, but they were the only inanimate thing to move throughout.

It was strange, finally returning to this room, especially given how long he's been out of prison, which, in retrospect, wasn't a long time calendar-wise, but it was good enough, at least for Ian. Here he stood, after almost two months, allowing thoughts to drift through his mind without recognition, absentmindedly watching the dust swirl through the air. Something else occurred to him, almost at random. He was almost certain he was being watched. It wasn't a bad thing, not in the least, but even so, he could feel it.

"Ian, phone call," Tanya called from the otehr side of the door.

"Not now," he replied.

"Rich and important associate from London."

Ian turned on his heel and was out the door just as fast as he thought about it, and he snatched the phone out of his sister's hand, taking a silent but deep breath of fresh air and readying himself for what was to come. "May I help you?"

NTNT

"Well, what I think all these are are pieces to a puzzle we're only just beginning to figure out," Ben said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees. "Did you say you talked to a Mr. O'Malley about this?"

"Yes, I did. He has a few suspicions about the Scottish Rite," Sadusky replied from the other end of the line. "However, the first United Grand Lodge was formed almost a century before the first Scottish Rite Lodge."

"So maybe it's not the Scottish Rite specifically, but Freemasonry in general."

"If that's true, then perhaps Mr. O'Malley is confusing the two."

"Or hiding something, trying to make us think something is true when something else entirely is the case."

"Where is this United Grand Lodge now, do you suppose?"

"Oh, best guess is somewhere in London."

"Good guess. I'm sure you or someone working with you has the address."

"If they do, I haven't heard about it, at least, not yet."

"You will. Believe me, you will."

NTNT

Riley stared at the note on his phone: 'Freemasons' Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ'. For the most part, it looked meaningless, but he knew Ian and Tanya would almost instantly recognize at least the format, if not the actual address. Tanya had told him to save it, which meant it did mean something to her.

His phone beeped, forcing him to travel through all kinds of menus out of his notes to open the text message. 'anything else?' It was from Tanya, and all he could do was reply with, 'not yet, address mean something?'

'yes,' she replied. 'i've seen it before i can find it'

'think theres anything there?'

'god only knows'

'think your vision could still happen?'

'most likely, though it'll be a little different'

'because nathaniel's dead?'

'yeah'

Okay, so that's confirmed, he thought. Tanya definitely knew the address, which meant there was a possibility that Ian knew it, too. The problem was, did he need that address? Was it the answer? Well, it's worth a shot, he thought again, shrugging.

NTNT

"So, what'd he say?" Tanya asked as soon as Ian snapped his phone shut and set it on the dining room table. She herself leaned against the doorframe leading from the dining room to the living room, watching Ian.

"I need to be in London within the week," Ian replied.

"Fate smiles on us."

"Oh, does she? I always thought she mocked us."

"Are you allowed to stay?"

"Well, of course. It's part of the terms I've given him. I know Mr. Anderson won't be thrilled that I choose to stay in London for however long this takes, but he either deals with it or loses me as a client."

The corner of her mouth turned up in something of a smirk or half-smile. "So, Ian Howe manipulates his way into getting what he wants out of a treasure hunt yet again. I never thought I'd see it firsthand."

"There's a first time for everything, oh freakish sister of mine."

"Take a lesson, imbecile brother of mine."

He gave her a hard look but said nothing. Tanya checked her phone for any new messages and found none, allowing her to walk into the living room and search the DVD library. She picked a movie, turned on the television, and popped the disk in the player, certain the next two to three hours would be absolutely mind-numbing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Gregory O'Malley studied the empty dining hall before him, pondering the information Peter had told him over the phone, information he'd gotten from Benjamin Gates. The Scottish Rite's home base, in spite of its name, was somewhere in the Carolinas, and all parties agreed that the secret hidden where he stood at the present was far older than that, and for the most part, they all agreed that the Howe family was involved. Granted, he knew the Howes personally, and it seemed to him, at least at the time, as if they were clueless. "It must've all changed now," he whispered.

In O'Malley's mind, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that news of Nathaniel's death had spread like wildfire, and the implications were far-reaching, though it required a little more thought to determine exactly how and why.

He took a few steps down the hall, and they echoed in the stillness. For a moment, he thought he heard another pair of footsteps, but they stopped as soon as he did. He took a few more steps, and the same thing happened. "Don't think I don't know you're here," he called. There were a few more footsteps, and he turned to face the intruder.

"Don't think I can't find you," he said. From his voice alone, O'Malley could easily tell that this man was American, and he was here on a mission.

"You think I guard something, something in this very building. Here's the trouble, though. You're quite mistaken, and I assure you, whatever you seek, all you'll find here is another clue."

"I hardly find that reassuring."

"You have resources, I'm sure, given that you're the most powerful man in the free world. It's only that you won't find anything here."

"I don't believe you."

"I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm telling you the truth, and you have to live with that, as shameful as this is to you."

"Hardly shameful," the man said as he took a few more steps forward, into better lighting, giving O'Malley a perfect view of one of the most famous faces in news media. "More of a hindrance, really." He swung his arm, and the back of his hand connected hard with the side of O'Malley's head.

NTNT

"Well, it's just that I'm in the middle of some really complicated family mess and they need me here," Tanya said in an American accent. "It's nothing against you, personally."

"Glad to hear it," her boss said over the phone. "Now, about next-"

"Haven't you just heard a single word I said? We've already been over this. I quit."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?"

"I did, but you were too busy oogling at this mental image you have of me naked."

"How'd you know I have one?"

"Just remember that I quit, and that's all you need to know." She snapped her phone shut and sighed. "Dumbass," she muttered, switching back to the British accent she was born and raised with. "Glad that's over."

"So, it sounds like that went well," Ian said, taking a seat next to Tanya on the sofa. She tossed her phone onto the coffee table. "It did go well, didn't it?"

"I hate that guy."

"Well, as I understand it, you never have to see him again."

"I don't. Have to see him, I mean."

"Good. He sounds like a real jerk."

"Alright, so that's the matter of my job out of the way, and you're going to London soon. After your meeting, do you think you can stop by Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ?"

"Of course. I can stop by and see what I find. I might have to sneak in, but I can do it."

"Alright. That's that taken care of, and it might really be our answer. I hope it is. I really want this to be over."

"It will be, someday."

"Oh, don't you sound certain."

"I am."

Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes. Ian was such a strange person to be a sister to, but she tried her best anyway. Besides, Ian was busy seeing Shaw's ghost. At least, knowing that, she didn't feel like the crazy one. "So," she said, "Shaw's ghost protects you or something?"

"I assume so, given that twice now he's intervened in situations which posed hazardous to my life."

"He must care about you if he can't move on without you."

"It could be a very short time before that happens, or it could be very long, depending on what happens between now and when we get to the end of this."

"True."

She turned her gaze toward him and studied his profile. "You don't look so well."

"It could be that I'm a little tired. This hunt took about as much out of me as it has out of you."

"But, may I remind you, you're not the one that had the vision and are currently wondering when it's going to happen again."

"Are you that fearful that you'll lapse into an alternate state?"

"Yes."

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "It's going to be alright."

"Stop saying that when you clearly know it's not."

"I only say it because I know everything will be fine. Why else would I do such a thing?"

"You're my brother. I could think of numerous reasons, and most of them are to spite me."

"Is that how you feel about me?"

"How else should I feel?"

"That depends on who you ask. Different people have different relationships with their siblings."

"I know my relationship with you is very interesting." Ian laughed softly and bowed his head, turning his eyes toward the carpet. Tanya shoved him playfully and messed with his hair. "You know I'm right."

"Shut up," he said, albeit halfheartedly.

"I'm still right."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to let you rub it in my face, and you know it."

"Whatever." After a moment, she added, "I'm still right."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"So, what're you up to today?" Riley asked over the phone.

Tanya glanced to her side and studied her brother for a moment as he started the car. "I'm seeing Ian off. He has this extremely important meeting in London that he can't miss even to save his life," she replied.

"Okay, so can he squeeze, like, a day in for checking out Freemasons' Hall?"

"Legally or illegally? Remember, he has the resources to do both. And it's more like a week."

"Legally if possible, but either way works. It's not like I have rigid morals anymore anyway," Riley said wryly, and she could almost hear his smirk over the phone.

"What matters is we find out what's at the end of this and, if the President is setting us up to get him to wherever this leads, we may at least get there first and have the means to stop him. Granted, he's the President, but this is worth a try."

"Wait, nobody said anything about going up against the President of the United States."

"Remember, I did think he was setting us up, which has been a concern of mine for some time now. I want to make sure that if he is setting us up, then we can get out of it without too much damage to ourselves personally, in any way."

"Okay. You...uh...seen anything lately?"

"No, thankfully, but I am a little worried I will sometime between right now this second and whenever this ends. It could happen, you know, at any time."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope you're not driving, if it happens on your way to the airport."

"I'm not."

"Okay, I'm good. I can relax now."

"You're always relaxed. That's what makes you Riley Poole."

"Well, I worry sometimes, about stuff that's actually important, like you."

"Aw."

Ian turned the sportscar onto one of the main roads and straightened out, and Tanya glanced over at him again. "Everything okay?" Riley asked.

"Absolutely. Just checking on my brother. He's behaving," Tanya replied. Ian shot his sister a look and rolled his eyes for a moment before returning his attention to the road ahead of them.

"Okay, good."

"Knowing Ian, though, anything could happen."

"You sound like you have an unpredictable family."

"I do. Trust me. You should meet my cousins someday. I assure you, they're better than American reality television."

"Oh, God."

The car slowed, and Ian turned it into a parking lot. "I'd better go," Tanya said. "We're here."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

The line went dead as she snapped her phone shut. She pocketed her phone as she followed her brother out of the car and into the airport lobby. "How's Riley?" Ian asked.

"He's fine, a little worried because of my being in your company, but fine nonetheless."

"Good. At least he's capable of worry."

"He is, but I think he's more laid back than most, which is actually a good thing, especially given the fact that we deal with crazies almost every day."

"Yes, we do, no doubt about it, which explains why I'm now a little apprehensive of meeting this associate in London."

"It's home territory for you both, so don't worry. You'll be fine."

They embraced, and Ian tossed her the keys and set about the process of confirming his flight and being checked out by security personel left and right. Once she was sure he boarded his plane, she walked out to the parking lot and climbed into the driver's side of the orange sportscar. "You'll do well, Ian. I'm sure of it."

She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to Ian's mansion. As soon as she parked in the walkway, she fished out her phone and checked her messages. Riley had sent her a brief text: 'hi'. She sent him a 'hi' back and climbed out of the sportscar, keys in tow. Phil, Viktor, and Powell were finally in a state of peace, sitting in the living room and watching a movie. She herself slipped into the living room only to retrieve a book before walking into her bedroom and settling into a comfortable chair and picking up where she left off.

NTNT

Ian slouched in the seat, allowing the chatter all around him to go through one ear and out the other. He treated engine roar the same way as soon as the engine actually started. He was already going through some mental calculations. Eighteen hours to London, an estimated two, at most, for his meeting, his next flight being several days later. That left him more than enough time to examine Freemasons' Hall, as per his sister's request. Perhaps he could sneak in some time to go sightseeing. He hasn't actually seen London in a while.

He glanced out the window at the ocean several thousands of feet below the plane. It seemed so peaceful from this distance, but if he'd learned anything about anything, it was that things weren't always as they appeared to be at face value. The problem was, sometimes, peeling back the layers could be quite difficult. The difficulty this time lie with the people he was trying to peel back the layers of.

He sighed and closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

NTNT

Tanya lay on her bed, closing her eyes. She could only hope that Ian could accomplish what needed to be accomplished. Of course, he had to. It was in his nature to finish what needed finishing. Finally, she fished out her phone and dialled Riley's number.

"Hello, Riley Poole speaking," he said.

"Hey, it's me, Tanya. Ian made his flight and is on his way to London as we speak," she replied.

"Okay, good. This is going better than we thought."

"Yes, it is. I just hope Ian doesn't run into any trouble whilst he's in London over the next several days."

"It's Ian. Nobody can take him down, especially in London. Isn't he one of the most powerful men there?"

"He's one of the richest and most influencial, if that's what you're asking."

"See, he's gonna be just fine. You have nothing to worry about."

"He's my brother. Don't tell me I have nothing to worry about."

"Okay."

Tanya sighed and closed her eyes. "It's been a long day, so I'm sorry if I'm being snappish."

"No, no, you're fine. I understand."

"I always thought you were supposed to say that."

"Well, I kinda am," Riley said with a laugh. "I mean, you're my girlfriend, and I don't wanna piss you off. Your brother could kill me."

"Don't worry about Ian. He's perfectly harmless. Almost."

"Almost."

"Besides, he's on a plane bound for England right now. You have nothing to worry about."

"See, I'm rubbing off on you," Riley said with a laugh. "I knew it'd happen sooner or later."

Tanya smiled and shook her head slightly. "I'm glad it's you and not some career criminal I'd have only known through my brother."

"Okay."

"Let me guess, you wouldn't trust a career criminal anyway."

"Well, yeah, for obvious reasons."

"But here's how it works, Ian chose these men as a bodyguard, and they became a second family to him, and he chose them very specifically, based on certain requirements he had in his head the whole time."

"Oh, so now it's supposed to make sense."

"Forget I told you, since you obviously don't understand the complexity that is my brother."

"Obviously."

"Ri, how about we end this conversation now, cool off, and talk later."

"Okay, I guess."

"Alright." Tanya hung up and pocketed her phone. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts pull her into sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Ian deplaned and found himself in a bustling airport in London. He humored the customs officers and allowed his bag to be searched. When they found no weapons, he was free to find himself a hotel to spend his nights in while he stayed. Eventually, he managed to find a decent enough hotel which didn't require a reservation and walked up to his room. The first thing he did when he got there was toss his bag onto the floor and collapse onto the bed. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, replaying the address his sister had given him in his mind. He had a week, this much he knew, and certainly the meeting would require his full mental focus for however long it took, and it might require all he had to ensure that he maintained an even tone and still got what he wanted out of it, but he most certainly could pull it off or his name wasn't Ian Howe.

NTNT

Tanya awoke as the sun set, and she could hear Powell, Phil, and Viktor engaged in a loud, raucous poker game. "Men and poker," she muttered to herself as she got out of bed. She made her way downstairs and began the process of preparing herself some tea. At one point, Powell walked into the kitchen to refill his cup of coffee, and then he returned to the living room and, consequently, the poker game.

Once she had herself a warm cup of green tea, she walked into the sun room, settled into a comfortable chair, and took a sip. From the window, she could see the sky's color as the sun set, and at the time, it was a nice salmon color.

She smiled to herself and took another sip of her tea. She let herself believe that perhaps this whole thing would be over when Ian got answers in London, but for once, she felt like she was lying to herself, and she felt terrible about it. Regardless, Ian was on the other side of the world, and there wasn't anything she could do about it right now.

The phone in her pocket buzzed, so she answered it. "Hello?"

"Let me guess, you've taken to keeping your phone with you every hour of the day," Ian said.

"And you've taken to checking on me every chance you get?"

"Not quite. We are in different timezones, on different sides of the world."

"For once I'm going to tell you you're right. I know there are many occasions in which you wanted to hear that, but this is perhaps one of the only times I'll give it to you."

"Then I'll take it."

"Good, and cherish it forever, because I'm not giving you too many opportunities like this."

"I wish I could take a picture of this so I could put it in my scrapbook to keep for the rest of my life."

"Right. Anyway, how's London?"

"I've yet to see it still, but it doesn't seem to have changed much since we left."

"Oh, good. Ian, I'm a little bit worried that something bad is going to happen, so be careful."

"I will, Tanya. You should be able to trust me."

"I do, but you're a boy, and beyond that, you're my brother. That changes things."

"Oh, how?"

"I'm your sister. I'm supposed to give you a hard time, and actually, I'm going easy on you."

"So you're just saying all this."

"And you're overthinking it."

She heard a sigh on the other end of the line, and she rolled her eyes. Ian had a way of being completely impossible. Well, what could she do about it? She was stuck with Ian for a brother, come hell or high water.

"Are you still there?" Ian asked.

"What? Oh, oh, yeah. I'm here," Tanya replied. "I'm here."

"Oh, good. Just making sure you haven't died on me or something."

"What makes you think I've died on you?"

"You weren't saying anything. You're my sister, and I want to make sure you're alright."

"And I understand that, but aren't you overreacting?"

"Perhaps I am, but given that recent events have rendered us the last of the Howe family, I want to make sure we can keep the family together."

"I know you mean well, Ian, but really? I feel like you're overreacting, if only a little bit."

"Perhaps I am, but I assume that's what you should expect from your older and only brother. Anyway, have you spoken with Riley?"

"Yes I have. He was fine earlier today."

"Oh, good. And I assume the boys are being good?"

"Could you expect any less? You hired them, after all."

"If I were forced to expect any less, they'd all be out on the streets looking for jobs within the week."

"No one's getting fired this week, that's for sure. How's your hotel?"

"Quite lovely, actually, and really quite comfortable."

"Well, good. Ready for a fun-filled week in London?"

"The only thing I'm dreading is the meeting, I have to admit. I personally can't wait to get to seeking answers, and it's even better that I get a whole week to work on it."

"It just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

"It does."

Tanya sighed and closed her eyes. Ian could just pick something to pursue and be extremely determined about it, if he so desired. "Ian, just know I wish you the best."

"Thank you. Oh, and don't do anything stupid."

"I won't."

The line went dead, and Tanya shapped her phone shut, setting it on the table. She took another sip of her tea and sighed, leaning back in her chair. The sky, as far as she could see, was turning a nice shade of red-violet, and she smiled to herself. For a moment, she was tempted to call Riley and ask him to come over, but the thought passed as quickly as it came.

Someone tapped on the door frame leading from the sun room to a corridor connecting it to the rest of the house, so with some surprise, she turned to face Viktor. "You, uh, wanna play poker?" he asked. "We're about ready to start another round."

"No, thank you," she replied evenly. "I don't gamble."

"We don't really use money."

"It doesn't matter. I don't gamble, no matter what the basic unit of currency in question happens to be."

"Oh, okay, I get it." With that, Viktor had vanished back down the corridor, leaving Tanya alone to settle back down into her chair and sip her tea.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Ian's eyes fluttered open, and it took him a moment to get oriented. The meeting was in a few hours, and he was in a hotel in London. He got out of bed and selected a nice suit to wear. He had to make a good impression, of course. He walked down to the kitchen next to the lobby and had a couple muffins, not listening to the news that was playing on the three flatscreen televisions mounted around the kitchen-slash-dining-room. He walked out as soon as he could, tossing the wrappers in the nearest garbage can.

Ian returned to his room and got the last of what affairs needed to be settled prior to the meeting in order. He ran a hand through his hair and walked out the door.

NTNT

Riley stared at the computer screen, running search after search and coming up emptyhanded but bound and determined to find a way to help his girlfriend and her family any way he could. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the time in the lower right-hand corner, and he ultimately decided to shut his computer off. He walked over to the couch and collapsed, falling asleep before he made contact with the cushions.

NTNT

Riley awoke late the next morning to find that he had four missed calls: two from Ben, one from Abigail, and one from Tanya. He called Tanya back.

"Hello," Tanya said when she answered.

"Hey, T, just thought I'd call you back, since you called me, like, a few minutes ago."

"Oh, alright. You know, you really didn't have to. I was just checking on you, making sure everything was alright."

"Well, I didn't find anything, but I did get a good, I guess, half-morning's rest."

"That's good."

"So, what're you up to?"

"No good, as usual. I'm actually getting close to reaching my daily quota of scheming and conniving." She and Riley shared a laugh, and she continued, "I'm really hoping my brother's meeting went well. This could be the last such opportunity we get in a long time, and we're in a better position to take it now versus at the next available time, which could be any time, perhaps one in the far off future."

"If I know Ian, then I know he has everything under control and you have nothing to worry about, T. That's just how he rolls."

"Absolutely, because he's cool like that."

"Because he's a total control freak like that."

"I understand you two don't have the best history, but I still say my brother is cool."

"And I'm giving you that one, but I still say he's a control freak with a weird, trigger-happy side."

"Newsflash, Ian's not a huge fan of guns. He's more the 'use them when necessary' type, regardless of the state of his judgment."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Ian?"

"I don't know any other Ian who could be my brother at the same time."

"Okay, good point. Now, have you had any more strange feelings or visions lately?"

"Not of late. Why?"

"Just checking."

"Oh, uh, alright."

"Ri, that's really sweet, you know."

"Thanks, T. I just wanna make you happy."

"You do make me happy." Riley grinned, and he tried to hide his laughter, but it didn't do much good. "You're laughing, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said meekly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about that. I know you're not laughing at me. Anyway, enough about me. How's your life?"

"Uh, okay. I mean, I'm pretty sure Ben's gonna propose to Abi, and even though I wish him luck, I'm kinda...kinda unsure."

"Why?"

"She's...well...she's a little...crazy."

"What do you expect? She has this high-powered job, boobs the size of her head, no really effective role in anything, need I go on?"

"No, I think you made your point."

"Oh, good. I need to make sure sometimes. Most people generally don't understand even when a point is being made."

"I hope you don't think I'm one of them."

"Why would I consider you to be when you've proven yourself otherwise?" Tanya asked, and Riley was fairly certain he could hear the confusion in her voice.

"That's a good question," he said. "I dunno how to answer, but it's a good question."

"Thank you."

"Hey, uh, I've been kinda thinkin', maybe we should go out again tonight."

"That depends on what happens, to be honest, and given the nature of the notice, I really can't give an answer."

"Uh, okay, maybe a few days from now."

"Alright, that sounds good."

"I guess I should let you go now, even though I don't want to, but I know Ian will think I'm some creepy stalker who's obsessed with you if I keep you on the phone for hours and hours and hours."

"I understand. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay, cool. I love you."

"I love you, too, Riley. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Cheerio."

"Later." Riley snapped his phone shut and set it on the coffee table, reaching for the remote in the process. He turned on the television and began a round of channel surfing before settling on something that was mildly interesting.

NTNT

Ian walked into his hotel room and plopped into a sitting position at the foot of his bed. The meeting itself was uneventful, but progress had been made, and it was this fact that had made it onto his list of blessings.

He turned on the television and began flipping through the limited list of channels before finding absolutely nothing of interest and turning the television off.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and ran a quick check of his messages before calling his sister.

"'Ello," Tanya said. "How'd it go?"

"Uneventful," Ian replied. "How was your day, or night, or whatever it happens to be?"

"Just fine. Nothing of true note happened, but I didn't have the worst day of my life either."

"Well, that's good. At least I don't need to send orders home right away to have someone kick someone else's arse for me."

"You're counting your blessings, aren't you?"

"Well, of course. Just think, a largely uneventful meeting, you've had a largely uneventful day, though I'm assuming you talked to Riley."

"You're good at this."

"Thank you." Ian lay back on his bed and allowed himself to relax. "So, tell me, what did you two talk about?"

"Nothing much, really. He was just checking on me, I was checking on him, and we made small talk about Abigail and various other topics, sort of like I'm doing with you. We talked about you a little bit, he thought you'd think he was obsessed with me if he kept me on the phone for hours at a time. Quick question: would you?"

"Perhaps, if I had no idea who he was. I have some degree of respect for Riley, and if he asked, certainly I'd let you two marry."

"Marry? Where's this coming from? Do you want to offload me already?"

"No, I don't. You're my sister, Tanya."

"I know that."

"Besides, you needn't worry about Riley. He should already be crystal clear on my rules of conduct for dating my sister."

"I'm fairly certain that's the case, given that the bit about being seen as a stalker was how he ended the phone call."

"Good. He's being careful, that's a good sign. I wouldn't trust my sister with anyone else."

"Alright, now, have you gotten a chance to look at Freemasons' Hall?"

"No, I haven't, but I have several days to myself now."

"Take your time, Ian."

"You know I will."

"I guess I should let you have those several days rather than just keep you on the phone like this," Tanya said.

"I'll talk to you later," Ian replied. "You can rest assured of that."

"Don't think I don't trust you, and yes, I'll talk to you later."

Ian snapped his phone shut and shoved it into his pocket. Within moments, his mind worked to figure out what he was going to do about this particular problem he'd been asked to solve and what he'd do with whatever information he obtained. The latter, he figured, must be dependent on the information itself, which, it seemed, was dependent on the answer to the problem. It was very much like the search for the Templar Treasure in that respect.

His thoughts flashed on Mr. O'Malley, a friend of the family when he was a boy. For a moment, Ian wasn't sure of Mr. O'Malley would recognize him, or, if he did, would he remember why? Regardless, perhaps it would be worth something to try to find and catch up with Mr. O'Malley.

His mind grasped the thought and began planning out exactly what he would ask O'Malley and what he could do with whatever information he obtained from the conversation. The latter depended on the answers to his questions and whether or not he deemed them useful in any way, shape, or form, or if he would later on, in which case he'd remember as much of what he learned as possible.

The question soon became a matter of how, and he had a response as soon as the question came to him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Tanya checked her phone that night to find that she had a brief text message from Ian: 'have a plan, know where to go, call you soon'. "Depends on how engrossed you become in this new plan of yours," Tanya said to herself, snapping her phone shut and pocketing it. "I certainly hope it's worth the effort."

She walked through the living room, where she found Powell, Phil, and Viktor seated on the couch watching Monty Python and something or other, and into the kitchen, where she made herself some tea and a modest, basic dinner of a bagel and cream cheese, sort of like her breakfast. She could hear the three men's laughter, and she rubbed her eyes at one point. Regardless, this was normal of them, and Tanya was too tired to say anything.

She finished her bagel, put the plate in the sink, took a drink of water, and returned to her tea. Her phone rang, so she fished it out of her pocket to check the caller ID before answering. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, T, what's up?" Riley asked from the other end of the line.

"Oh, nothing, what's up with you?"

"Not a whole lot. I just wanted to talk to you, is all."

"Oh."

"Heard anything from Ian?"

"Not much, just that he's figured out how he's going to proceed with this whole Compass Freemason's Hall thing."

"Okay, that's good, I think. We still have a date in the near future?"

"Oh, of course. I'm all for it. I just need a set date, time, and place."

"Well, uh, I'll see what I come up with."

She laughed. "Alright, sounds good to me."

"Okay, uh, cool."

Tanya smiled and sipped her tea. "You're so cute like this, you know."

"Thanks." She could hear a slight, nervous giggle in his voice.

"So, Riley, are your friends...Ben and Abigail...are they, if I may, engaged?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

"I noticed that they act like a married couple."

"Yeah, they do, sometimes, but we've all been through a lot since we all started looking for the Templar Treasure, and now you're involved in whatever this is, with the Compass and everything."

"Here's hoping this ends soon."

"You're tellin' me."

"I don't see why it shouldn't. We're going back to the beginning, or as close as we know how to get to. The only thing that could go wrong is something happening to Ian, which would cause us to go over to London, and that same something could happen to us, if we're not careful."

"It's Ian, okay? Everything's gonna be fine."

"I know, but that's precisely why I'm worried. He's my brother, and in case you've forgotten, he's the only family I have left."

"I know."

"Not that that's a bad thing. Beats being stuck with Nathaniel."

"Sounds like," Riley replied with another nervous laugh.

"Let's talk seriously for a moment. Is something bothering you?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Riley said, "I've been wondering a little lately, maybe this is a dead end, a-"

"Wild goose chase?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah. I mean, think about it. The clues could lead anywhere, it's like when we first started looking for the Charlotte. We couldn't tell if she was a person or a ship or something else, and maybe that's what's going on here. Maybe, and don't give me crap for this, this is a set-up by the President for God knows what reason. I know, I know, we've been thinking that for a long time now, but it's not like it's not a possibility anymore now that we have a lead."

Tanya leaned back in her chair and chewed her lip for a moment. "You could be right. After all, if what you say is true, then the real hunt becomes clear. This would be the hunt for the reason, the motive, and also a means to thwart what could be a malevolent plan in action perhaps as we speak." Tanya's phone beeped, and she checked the ID of the caller. "Hold on, I'll call you back." With that, she took the other call.

"Tanya, we have a problem," Ian said through heavy breaths.

"Ian, what's going on? Where are you?"

"Can't say much. I trust you to be able to find me."

"What's going on? Have you been kidnapped or something?"

"Or something. I need you to come to London and find me, do you understand?"

"I understand perfectly. What I want to know is why."

"If you don't, I'm a dead man."

NATM

Riley's phone chimed, alerting him to a text message from his girlfriend, which read simply, 'meet me at airport'. He shoved his phone into his pocket and shrugged on his jacket. Within seconds, he had his keys in hand and was out the door on his way downstairs. He took a chance and waited for the elevator, which he took all the way to the main floor. He walked out the front door with a nod to the receptionist, climbed into the car, and was out of the parking lot half a minute later.

As Riley drove, his mind probed the possibilities of what could've happened to prompt Tanya to send him that text message. 'Meet me at airport'. He knew from the bare-bones nature of the message that this was an important matter, so maybe something happened to her brother. As much of a crappy history he had with Ian, if he wanted his relationship with Tanya to last, then he'd have to put it all aside, because he and Ian might end up related someday, and that fact counted now more than ever.

He sighed. His mind had drifted almost too much, and he had to pull his attention back to the road before he did anything in any way damaging to his convertible. After ensuring that his vehicle was both under control and safe from either real or imagined harm, he relaxed a little.

Eventually, he spotted a burnt orange sportscar in the parking lot of a nearby airport, and he turned. It took him a few minutes to find a parking spot, and once he parked, he climbed out of his car, keys in hand.

"Oh, there you are," Tanya said as soon as Riley was in the lobby. "Don't worry, I've got tickets. Our flight leaves in a few hours."

"So, what? We just wait here?"

"Unless you have a better idea, but we need to be back an hour before our flight."

"So how much time does that leave us?"

"Two hours, at most."

"Better just settle in here, I guess."

NTNT

It was two and a half hours before Tanya and Riley boarded the plane and took their seats. They settled in, and Tanya laced her fingers through Riley's. He ran his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered in her ear.

"I hope you're right," Tanya replied softly. "God, I hope you're right."

"The power of positive thinking."

"Or self-delusion."

"If you tell yourself something enough times, you start to believe it, and you know what happens? It comes true."

"Does that really work?"

"I've had...marginal success."

"Not sure I'll try it yet, then."

Riley laughed softly, and the engine roared. Tanya leaned back in her seat and stared at the back of the seat in front of her. Still, she kept a hold on Riley's hand, and her mind kept wondering what happened to Ian.

NATM

The man who'd been pursuing him for the past several minutes held a gun to his face as he pressed his back against the nearest wall. "Placing that call was a huge mistake," the man hissed, and Ian could easily tell he was American. "Now, before I kill you, tell me something. Who did you call?"

Ian swallowed, searching his mind for a lie to tell this man. He didn't have to search for long. "An ex-girlfriend," he said. An ex-girlfriend? he mentally yelled. That was the best you could come up with?

"Some ex if you called her for help, instead of, oh, I dunno, the authorities. Oh, wait, you think that'd do you any good back in the US?" After a pause, he added, "Didn't think so."

"Actually, we're working on getting back into the on phase of an on-again, off-again relationship. Besides that, I couldn't think of anything else."

The man took two more steps closer to Ian, pressing the gun between his eyes. With some degree of shock, Ian got a good look at the face of the man threatening his life. "Hello, Mr. President," he whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Don't look so surprised, Mr. Howe," the President whispered.

"I'm not. Quite frankly, I was actually expecting this from a desperate politician such as yourself," Ian replied. "However, what do you think is going to happen to you once I tell everyone back in the United States that you held me at gunpoint thinking I could provide some useful bit of information I didn't have?"

"It doesn't matter. This is my second term, and it's almost over."

"And yet, with all your responsibilities as the President of the United States, you've managed to find time to drop by an address in London you found on your own, private searchings into the meaning of the clues? You might not have a political career again. Better teach yourself how to write decently."

"Excuse me?"

"After all, isn't that what you'll be confined to, Mr. President, once you find that you no longer have political prospects? You can enter a regular workforce, if you felt you were up to it, or you could write a book, as most politicians do when they have no careers left to their names. Or you can star in your own reality television show, become so famous in that role that you discover the world of hard, illegal drugs and eventually die of an overdose. Your options are beginning to look more and more dismal the more we discuss this."

The President pressed Ian further back against the wall, and he bit back the cry of pain that wanted to escape him. "Now, look, if you play nice, no one has to know about this, okay? What happens in London stays in London."

"That's Las Vegas."

"It can apply here as well. Now, wanna know how to play nice? You and your little Grand Master buddy over there," he gestured to the heap in the corner that Ian had identified as his friend Gregory O'Malley, "tell me where this web of clues ends and we can get to the treasure, okay?"

"You remind me of myself, before life taught me a harsh lesson and I was forced to rethink what the word 'treasure' actually meant to me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I just don't want you making the same mistake I did."

"You think any good's gonna come out of preachin' to me?"

"It's not preaching, it's offering a piece of what's actually really good advice. I'll understand if you don't want to take it, but I might have done you a disservice had I not offered it to you."

The President laughed, a dry, sarcastic laugh which seemed to, in a strange way, cause Ian to relax. "Don't go anywhere," he snapped, pressing the barrel of the gun a little deeper into Ian's forehead. "It's not like I'll let you, anyway."

Ian smirked. "I don't have any plans to," he said softly, "at least, not yet." The President's eyes widened, and, most importantly to Ian, his hold and pressure on the gun relaxed, giving him the break he needed. He snatched the gun out of the other man's hand and struck the side of his head with the butt of the pistol. The President went down almost instantly, slumping against the wall. As Ian studied the weapon in the silence of the hall, he glanced down at the President's unconscious form and whispered, "Now I do have plans to leave, and there's nothing you can do about it."

He walked over to where O'Malley lay, bound and gagged, staring at the scene which had just unfolded with a look of awe in his eyes. Ian knelt beside him and proceeded to untie him. Once his mouth was free, O'Malley gasped and asked, "Why didn't you tell him anything?"

"Well, it's really quite simple," Ian replied as he helped O'Malley to his feet. "We can't let him know the secret, because he'd misuse it." He glanced over at the President. "He should be like that for only a few hours. We'd better get moving, find somewhere safe." He picked up the gun and studied it a moment before adding, "Preferably without anyone seeing us, or this."

"You should hope whoever you called is on her way right as we speak, or you might find your sorry arse in jail, again," O'Malley said, glancing at the gun as he spoke.

"I called my sister, and yes, she's on her way. Now, do you know where we can go before we're seen?"

"There's still one place which is still safe to us. Here, I'll show you the way."

Ian followed O'Malley out of the hall and onto the street, concealing the weapon as well as possible.

NTNT

Tanya was in the process of lapsing out of sleep when she saw it. Her brother and their old family friend Gregory O'Malley were strolling down a street, both seeming more than a little nervous. The vision faded when she began to gain her bearings. She was in a plane, still over the Atlantic Ocean, with Riley sitting next to her. From her position, she couldn't see much out of the window, so she asked him where they were.

"Uh, besides still over the ocean, we're getting close to England," Riley said slowly, scanning the outside world through the window as he spoke. "At least, that's my best guess."

"Alright, good. Only a little while longer."

"You see anything?"

"Ian and Mr. O'Malley. It seems they've both escaped danger, for now."

"Uh, that's good, I think."

"Riley, I'm not sure this is the day for guessing, 'uh', or thinking, and certainly not all three."

"Well, all that's the best I have right now."

"That would be the only exception, then, because we have no choice but to put our heads together and get to a point where we can find a solution to this problem we're in."

"Sounds good to me."

Tanya nodded curtly and settled back in her seat. Then, she allowed herself to be truly relieved that her brother was safe, if only for the moment.

NTNT

After about forty-five more uneventful minutes, the plane landed, and Tanya and Riley, along with the rest of the passengers, prepared to deplane. Several minutes later, they walked out of the airport, and Riley followed Tanya down the street. She fished out her phone and dialled a number.

"Oh, Tanya," Ian said when he answered the phone. "I was beginning to worry."

"Ian, where are you?" she asked. She listened attentively as he gave her an address, and she added, "We're on our way. Hold on."

"I will."

She snapped her phone shut and glanced at the street signs before looking back at Riley. "I was right," she said. "Ian's safe, at least, for now."

"So, we're gonna find him, right?" Riley asked.

"Of course. He gave me an address."

"So, he's not at Freemasons' Hall?"

"Be careful what you say around here. People could hear you and mistake what you're saying for something completely different. Oh, and yes, to answer your question. He's fled with Mr. O'Malley, and they're in a safe place."

Riley nodded, pursing his lips together, and he walked alongside Tanya as they navigated the streets of London in search of the address in Tanya's head. After a moment, he asked, "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Of course. Mr. O'Malley's a family friend of ours, and I know my way around London enough to get where we need to go."

"Okay."

Eventually, Tanya and Riley walked up to a nice brick home with an oak door and a brass knocker. She knocked on the door, and after a few moments, Gregory O'Malley, looking a little worse for the wear than when she'd last seen him, answered the door. "Oh, hello, Tanya," he said. "You've brought a friend, I see."

"He's my boyfriend, actually," Tanya replied. "I wanted him to come with me because, well, I really don't know."

"Oh, no matter the reason, please, do come in." He stepped aside, and Tanya and Riley stepped inside.

"Are you sure?" Riley whispered in Tanya's ear, and she nodded.

"Ian's in the second story study," O'Malley said. "Refreshments after your long journey?"

Tanya turned to Riley and asked, "Tea and scones?"

"Uh, sure," Riley answered, a little uncertainly.

She turned back toward O'Malley and said, "That'd be lovely."

NTNT

"Are you two on the same page, without me?" Riley asked in a low voice, leaning toward Tanya and hoping O'Malley hadn't heard.

"I told you, we're old friends. We practically speak the same language," Tanya replied.

"Yeah, I can tell."

"Besides," she said indignatly as she took a sip of her tea, "he's too old for me, so you have nothing to worry about."

He relaxed visibly and managed to take a sip from his teacup. Tanya took a bite out of a scone and chewed it thoughtfully. After she swallowed, she looked at O'Malley and asked, "Ian's safe, correct?"

"Oh, absolutely," O'Malley replied. "In fact, he's the one that rescued me."

"Oh, you don't say."

"It was really something, watching him disarm the man."

"Really, it was nothing," Ian said from the threshold to the sun room. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I couldn't help but overhear."

In one swift movement, Tanya set her cup and half-eaten scone on her saucer and rushed over to Ian, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Thank God," she breathed.

Ian rested his hands on Tanya's back. "It's good to see you, too," he replied in the same low voice. "How've you been?"

"Worried sick, no matter what anyone else said. I'm so glad you're alright."

Tanya pulled away, and she and Ian walked over to the sofa.

"So, what's shakin'?" Riley asked.

"You know your nation's president?" Ian asked, leaning forward slightly. "He's not the man who kidnapped us, even though they are very much one and the same."

"Let me guess, bipolar or multiple personalities?" Riley asked.

"More like he has two identities, which doesn't strike me as unusual for a politician."

Riley let out a wry laugh, and Tanya returned to her tea and scone. "Care for some?" O'Malley asked Ian.

"Oh, no thank you," he replied, holding his hand up as he spoke.

"So, why you two?" Tanya asked. "I mean, I know Mr. O'Malley has remarkable connections, connections which can help us solve this puzzle, but you?"

"I'm a Howe, simple as that. It could just has easily have been you."

"I know this, but is he really just opportunistic?"

"It really seems that way."

"So, do we give him what he wants?" Riley asked.

"Let's figure that out when it gets here," Tanya replied.

"It'll really take a while for him to find us, though," Ian added. "Last I checked, he was unconscious."

"We should be alright for a while, then. We've got time to figure this out."

"Good."

"Anyone care to go out later?" O'Malley asked, almost absently. "I know the perfect place."

NTNT

Tanya, Riley, Ian, and O'Malley took their seats around a booth in the back, at the tail end of the evening rush, so Tanya noted. O'Malley looked at the other three and asked, "So, what exactly brings you here?"

"We're looking for...something," Tanya began. "You see, it all started with a page in the Book of Secrets belonging to the President of the United States, and this compass," she added, pointing to the compass hanging around her neck. "It seems like you also know something, otherwise you wouldn't have been targeted."

O'Malley lowered his voice. "You're right, I have been targeted, but not because I know as much as you think. I know only enough to get you on to the next phase of your hunt, but it only makes sense if you've found your way this far. My job was to guard the doorway until you found your way, and now here you are, but we're being pursued, which makes our situation especially dangerous. However, there is a way to reduce the risk."

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"Quite simply, we wait until we're certain we can proceed with as little risk to ourselves and our directive as possible."

"And if that proves to be impractical, if not impossible?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have to say, my sister has a point," Ian added. "Traditionally, I've been of the 'I'd rather do it now while I'm certain of the conditions' sort."

"Which makes perfect sense, but you are the only two Howes left, and if we lose you both, then all is lost."

"Hey, quick question," Riley said. "Why them?"

"You'll understand that when you get to the end of this quest."

"Thank you, Mr. Cryptic."

Tanya leaned against the back of the booth and rubbed her eyes. "Alright," she said. "Regardless of the reason for us being here, we should still see this thing through to the end, no matter what happens along the way."

"The question then becomes, can we make it?" Ian asked, directing his attention toward his sister.

"I hope so, but I have the feeling not all of the people sitting at this table will survive."

Riley scanned the booth and chewed his lip. After a moment, he polished his glasses, more to give him an excuse not to try and break the awkward silence than anything else.

Tanya and Ian looked at each other, and after a moment, she leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around her. "It's going to be alright," he whispered.

"I certainly hope you're right," she replied, returning to her original position. In a slightly louder voice, she said, "Ian has a point. We best keep moving, or else we'll find ourselves stuck again, and possibly stuck in the hands and at the mercy of our pursuer. When can we start?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The sun was setting on London as Riley, Tanya, Ian, and O'Malley slipped through a back entrance into Freemasons' Hall. "Typically I don't let anyone in back here," O'Malley explained in a low voice, "but this is a special occasion. Be very careful, though, and don't make too much noise."

As a foursome, they slipped inside, staying close to the wall as they crossed what at first seemed to be an impenetrable expanse of blackness. Riley crept close to Tanya and laced his fingers through hers. She reached out with her free hand and felt along the wall until she accidentally bumped into O'Malley, whom she almost forgot was in front of her. There was a series of sounds from in front of her, concluding with a tapping noise on a wall. Tanya followed, pulling Riley along behind her, and judging by the sounds of the footsteps, Ian was also close behind.

They'd turned a corner, she noticed, and the rustle of fabric behind her gave her a dreadful feeling that there was no turning back. After what felt like an eternity, O'Malley pulled out his lighter and flicked the switch. A tiny orange flame illuminated what was in fact a tunnel, a narrow stone tunnel just a few inches taller than Ian. True, they could only see a few feet in either direction, but it was enough for them to get their bearings.

"Okay, now what?" Riley asked in a low voice.

"We keep moving," O'Malley replied, continuing to walk forward and taking the relatively small sphere of light with him. Riley was quick to follow, followed in his own right by Tanya and Ian, as close to side-by-side as they could get.

Just when Tanya seemed to think this tunnel stretched on into oblivion with no end in sight, O'Malley stopped them in front of a mahogany door which looked like it hadn't been used in years, if not decades or even centuries. O'Malley snapped his lighter shut, pocketed it, and fished around in his pockets for a while. After some time, he pulled out a key and felt around on the door in front of him before finally being able to insert the key into its hole and unlock the door. It screached when O'Malley pushed it open, and the smell of mold and heavy dust rolled into the tunnel on a gust of cold air.

She felt the strangest thing at that moment, a mixture of fear and excitement, and before she knew exactly what she was doing, she pulled Ian down the tunnel and through the doorway. "Hey, what's going on?" Riley called, following of his own free will.

"I'll explain later," Tanya found herself saying.

"Just keep going straight until you run into a wall," O'Malley called from the other side of the doorway. "Either that or you trip on something." There was a sound of metal sliding across a rock of some form, and Tanya slowed to a stop, kneeling to feel the floor, only to find O'Malley's lighter. "Keep going."

Much as Tanya would've loved to have followed O'Malley's instructions, the sound of cold, calculating footsteps coming up the corridor made her freeze in place. Ian tried to pull her along with him, but only succeeded in pulling her to her feet. The footsteps came closer, and Ian, Tanya, and Riley found themselves in a small huddle, peering through the darkness, trying to see what was going on.

O'Malley gasped and stumbled a little across the width of the hall. After a moment, and in the ensuing silence, a voice hissed, "Where're your little friends? I know they must be down here with you somewhere. Show me the way, will you?"

Riley bit his lip to keep his scream from escaping, and Tanya did her best to swallow as quietly as possible. Almost out of instinct, Ian's hand drifted to the gun in his pocket.

A brilliant light flooded the chamber, revealing some of the most bloodcurdling details about the scene playing out before the threesome within. The man, the President, was pressing a knife to O'Malley's throat, and he'd evidently come prepared for any eventuality. "There you are," he hissed. "I've been looking all over for you three, especially Mr. Howe here. Your brother's tough, Ms. Howe. You should be proud of him for that."

"What do you want?" Ian asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What did you want when you stabbed Mr. Gates in the back in an effort to get to the Templar Treasure? I want the same thing. Money."

"Then it looks like you need a harsh lesson in reality."

"There's no one here to teach it to me, and there's nothing to prove I need one, so it doesn't look like you can do much, Mr. Howe, which isn't good for your friend here. In fact, his whole situation doesn't look all that good." He took the knife and drove it into O'Malley's neck, all the way to the hilt, and he tossed the body aside and stepped into the chamber. "Should've done that yesterday, when he stopped being useful to me. Now do you want to cooperate with me, or do I have to kill your sister, too?"

Ian pulled the gun out of his pocket, cocked it, and had it pointing directly between the President's eyebrows in record time. "Do you want to die?" he asked evenly.

"Oh, I wondered where that went," he replied with a smirk. "Thanks for finding it."

As the President moved to grab it, Ian jerked the gun away, holding it high over his head. "Don't think it's going to be that easy. After all, we wouldn't want the whole world knowing you were carrying a loaded gun in England, would we."

"You're the one carrying it, and I can ruin you."

"I figured out how to protect myself. All you were tryng to do was achieve high political standing."

Tanya and Riley exchanged glances before slipping back a few paces. "Okay, what's the plan?" Riley asked in a low voice.

"Get the flashlight," Tanya replied.

"Hey, El Presedente," Riley called. "How do you expect us to help you get the treasure if you don't give us the flashlight?"

Tanya gave Riley a weird look, but she caught on an instant later. "We know where to find it," she added, "and we can't have the one man in our little expedition party with the decent light source getting dreadfully lost, can we?"

The President and Ian looked toward Tanya and Riley simultaneously, both somewhat baffled. Eventually, the former conceded and handed the flashlight to Tanya, who directed its light down the tunnel before them.

"Now what?" Riley asked as soon as they were several paces ahead.

"Just trust me. I have a hunch," Tanya replied.

NTNT

"Exactly how much longer does this tunnel go?" the President asked for what Tanya presumed to be the eighteenth time. At least by that point she understood how parents felt when restless children asked, "Are we there yet?" over and over again on long road trips.

"You'll know when we get to the end of it," Tanya replied, for what also had to be the eighteenth time. "Since we haven't gotten there, you don't get to know just yet."

"This better be over soon."

Tanya stopped and turned on her heel to face the President. "Look, I don't know how many times we have to have this exchange before you get the main idea I'm trying to express, but it's starting to wear on my last good nerve. If you want to keep pressing this button, go ahead, but chances are, you won't last long." To emphasize this, she looked at Ian, who still had the gun in his hand. "Watch your step, because you're dealing with Howes."

"I know."

Tanya turned again and proceeded with Riley down the tunnel, swinging the flashlight back and forth a few degrees each direction. "I do admit though," she said after a moment, "this tunnel does seem endless."

"When're we gonna trip over something or run into something?" Riley asked.

"I honestly don't know."

Tanya allowed her mind to wander for a moment, drifting in front of her through the tunnel. "Oh, wow, it does seem endless."

"Wha-didn't she just say that?" the President asked.

"Shut it and let my sister do what she does best," Ian snapped.

Tanya smirked and continued walking. Several minutes later, Riley stumbled and said, "Hey, I tripped over something."

"Let's see what it is," Tanya said, directing the beam of the flashlight on the object Riley was examining. "Looks like a rock," she added.

"So, do we keep going?"

"For now, but keep the rock." She helped Riley up, and they continued down the tunnel. He handed the rock to her in exchange for the flashlight.

"A rock?" the President snapped. "That's it?"

"I told you to shut up," Ian replied, ready to press the gun into the man's back and pull the trigger.

Tanya ran her fingers over the rock gently, methodically. She rubbed off some dirt, only to find that it was, in fact, a rock. "False alarm," she said, tossing the rock aside and taking the flashlight back from Riley.

"Good thing you checked it out," Ian replied. "We always need to be sure."

"Now, let's get to the end of this thing."

"Sounds good to me," Riley said.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The light of the flashlight landed on something directly in front of the foursome, and a light smile played on Tanya's face. "We made it," she said. After a moment, she pulled Riley aside and added in a low voice, "Get Ben on the line. We'll need a little help, I feel it." He nodded and fished around in his pocket.

Tanya redirected her attention to the flat surface in front of her and tapped on it. "There's something behind here," she said.

"How do we get to it?" Riley asked, still fiddling with something in his pocket.

She handed the flashlight to Ian almost expertly and felt along the surface. Her hand found a handle, and she tried it. It felt like it hadn't been used in about as long a time as the door O'Malley led them to had just sat there, so it took a little doing to get the thing to give, but it did. "Do I pull or push?" she asked.

"Try both," Ian replied.

Tanya pushed against the door, and eventually, it budged. "Guess that answers that question," Riley said. The door budged some more, until Tanya noticed a half-inch wide gap between the door frame and the door itself. She pushed a little more, until she could slip between the frame and the door.

"Let's go," she said, slipping inside. Riley followed right after her, then Ian, and finally, the President.

Ian and Tanya looked around at the dimly lit space the four found themselves in. "Where are we?" Riley asked.

"I don't believe this," Ian said.

Tanya licked her lip and stared at the room, taking the sight in. Riley repeated this question, and she felt that the President was also getting restless. She took a few steps forward almost as if she knew where she was going. "Ian, do you remember this place?"

"I haven't forgotten."

"Where are we?" the President asked, more impatiently than Riley had.

"The basement," Tanya replied, walking over to a chest and undoing the latch. She pushed open the lid and examined the contents with awe.

"So, that's where we come in," Ian added.

NTNT

"So, what do you suggest we do, Ben?" Sadusky asked over the phone. "I can have a flight ready in five minutes."

"That's great, Sadusky, really," Ben replied, "but knowing Riley, he was probably going off Tanya's instincts."

"According to her records, they haven't failed her yet."

"But, the President of the United States?"

"Heard of Nixon?"

"I have."

"There you go. Now, when can you be ready?"

NTNT

Riley's phone chimed, so he pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Okay, Ben's on his way," he whispered to Tanya, who nodded in reply, rifling through the contents of the chest in front of her. Ian knelt next to her and stared at the inside of the chest. He pulled out a book and dusted off the cover. "What's all this junk?" Riley asked when he studied the chest.

"Everything in this basement is a part of Howe family history," Tanya whispered, not looking up at Riley. "Most of our family's history is in this room, no matter how good or how bad."

"What's that got to do with us?" the President asked.

"Everything," Ian replied. He got to his feet and walked to another part of the basement. When he was sure no one could see what he was doing, Ian studied the gun in his hands for a moment. "It has everything to do with us, all of us."

"Ri, he could be too late," Tanya whispered after pulling Riley aside. "We could all die."

"No, we're not gonna die," Riley replied, resting his hands on Tanya's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay."

"You don't know these things the way I do."

"Still, if we can string this guy along, we can get him caught."

"He's the bloody President of the United States. It's like trying to accuse the Queen of England of some crime or other."

"Wow, I really am rubbing off on you. Okay, look, we'll find a way, Ian will find a way, Ben will find a way, and we'll fix this, and everything'll be okay, I promise."

"You can't promise something like that, don't you see? We either find a way out of this ourselves or we die and he gets off scot free. We need help."

"We're the only ones down here, just the four of us."

"There's the Riley I know and love, but there are five of us down here. You know as well as I do Shaw's ghost has been following Ian around all the time, and besides, he helped us before."

"Can he hear us?"

"Let's see. Shaw, can you hear us?"

"I'm right here, listening, like always," he said, and she could tell he was somewhere near Ian.

"What's going on?" the President asked. "Who's there." He wheeled around the basement, looking around and growing frantic.

"That's none of your concern," Ian said, pointing the gun at the President. The latter held his hands up and turned slowly so that he was facing Ian. "That's better. This is as far as the tunnel goes, so tell me what you expect to find."

"There has to be more," the President whispered. "There has to be, another clue, or maybe a secret door."

"This is as far as it goes."

Tanya and Riley slipped along the wall to a stairwell leading to the main floor. She kicked the door down, and they entered the foyer. "Okay, we're safe now. Thanks for the opening, Shaw," Tanya said.

"No problem," Shaw's voice replied in her head.

"Okay, so we got help from a ghost, and now Ian's turned the tables on the President," Riley said. "How much longer can this go on?"

"It better be enough. We need about eighteen hours to drag this on before Ben gets here."

They walked into the main sitting room, and Tanya began scanning the books on the shelf. "So how do we kill eighteen hours?" Riley asked.

"I'm working on it."

"Ben's rubbing off on you, too."

"Don't think I don't know this."

Riley's phone rang, and he answered promptly. "Yeah...okay...what?...oh, you're gonna...hang on, what?...You're on your way now?...oh, yeah, see ya soon, I guess."

"Ben?"

"Yeah. The FBI is fast."

"Like the Scotland Yard."

Riley collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh, and Tanya walked back to the basement door. Ian was still pointing the gun at the President, and they both seemed riveted to what they were doing. Silently, she descended the stairwell and walked over to a stack of cardboard boxes. Her hand drifted to the compass around her neck, and she sighed quietly. She wound her way through the boxes until she could position herself so that she could see and hear the exchange between Ian and the President.

"You're not going anywhere, not yet," Ian hissed.

"You're right. I'm not going anywhere, not until I get the next clue."

"You are a very desperate man."

Tanya noticed that Riley was leaning into the door frame and peering into the basement, and she held up a hand to stop him. She then pressed a finger to her mouth, and he nodded, staying put in the door frame. She glanced at Ian, who returned her look, and she looked around at the boxes.

"Desperate man, eh?"

"After all, I should know. I found myself in the position you're in once, five years ago, in fact, also in a subterranian chamber. I also happen to know this won't be of any benefit to you."

"How do you know so much about me?"

"I'm going off personal experience."

You can do this, Ian, Tanya thought. Just keep talking.

"Personal experience? What kind of personal experience could you be working off of?"

"Experiences of which you wouldn't dare to imagine. You're too conservative for them."

Tanya smiled and turned to the wall, pressing her back against the stack of boxes. He needs a clue, she thought, I'll give him one, but first, I need to know where the real one is.

NTNT

Ben and Sadusky studied the sky out the window of the plane. "We're making pretty good time," Ben said.

"So far," Sadusky replied. "Let's hope your buddies are on to something."

"You said it yourself, Tanya's instincts never failed her."

"They haven't. Y'know, it's interesting. It's like we're dealing with another Ian Howe, a desperate man out to make a name for himself and keep what he has."

"Yes, but Ian's on our side now. His sister's dating my best friend."

"Yeah, you told me about that."

"Preparing for landing," the pilot said over the intercom.

"That's our cue," Sadusky said. "Hope you're ready."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Ben and Sadusky walked from the airport down one of the streets of London. "Better find out where we go next," Sadusky said to Ben. "We can't get lost right now."

Ben nodded and fished out his phone, dialling Riley's number. "Yeah?" Riley said when he answered.

"Riley, where are you? What happened?"

"To start with, the President killed a guy. Look, I can't talk much, but I'm at Ian's old place. Remember where that is?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, sort of. Yeah, I think I can get there."

Sadusky shot him a look that said, 'I sure as hell hope you're right'. He nodded, and he heard Riley say, "Ian's holding the President off, and Tanya's doing...I don't know what she's doing, but I think she has a plan. I hope she has a plan."

"You know how Howes are. They're smart, they have unlimited resources, and they think quickly."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, I'll get right over."

"Okay."

The line went dead, and Ben pocketed his phone. "Ian's old place," he said, turning down a side street. Sadusky followed closely.

NTNT

Riley snapped his phone shut and paced across the length of the foyer until he returned to the doorframe. He couldn't find Tanya, but Ian and the President were in the exact same spots as before. Okay, he thought, Ben and the FBI are on their way, everything's going to be okay.

"You don't realize what you're getting into. I can ruin you," the President said.

"It doesn't matter. Your term as President is ending, and there's no way it can continue. You know that as well as I do, and you're becoming a desperate man because of it. You think what you find because of this hunt will change all that, and you'll be somebody for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that. I thought pretty much the same thing."

"You know what's at the end of this, and you're stalling."

"We're more alike than you realize or are willing to admit."

The President lunged for Ian and grabbed the gun before Ian had time to react. He turned the gun on Ian and cocked it. At that moment, Tanya could be spotted leaning out from behind a stack of boxes, a look of terror on her face, and Riley swallowed.

Ian stared the President down, waiting for what seemed to be the inevitable pull of the trigger. To Riley, he didn't look at all afraid, but he had no way of knowing whether or not this was the case.

The President moved to squeeze the trigger, and Tanya shouted, "Ian!" Both Ian and the President turned to face her, but after a moment, the President returned his attention to Ian, pointing the gun level with his heart. He prepared to squeeze the trigger again, and Tanya jumped. "Run," she shouted again, doing her best to wrap her arm around the President's throat. He threw her off, and she tumbled into the chest she'd opened some time before. She did her best to keep her consciousness as Ian ran up the stairs, and she could see Riley pull away almost instinctively.

NTNT

Ben was about to try the door when it flew half-way off its hinges. "I'll explain later, but my sister's down there," Ian said, pushing his way past Ben and Sadusky, who exchanged glances. They walked into the castle foyer to find the basement door wide open, also half-way off its hinges.

"So, who's running and who's pursuing?" Sadusky asked in a low voice as he studied the damage done to the door. Ben was already halfway down the stairwell as Sadusky spoke. Riley was supporting Tanya and on his way up the stairwell when he met up with Ben.

"Long story," Riley said. "We'll talk about it later." With that, he proceeded up the stairwell.

NTNT

Ian walked, without any really good reason and not entirely sure where he was going. Sadusky and Ben were preoccupied, and he couldn't help but wonder if anyone else had come with them on the flight over here. He was fairly certain not, given what he'd heard floating around the mansion a few days prior to his ending up stuck in this mess, but the question had occupied his mind for a moment.

Then another question occurred to him, one which made him turn a full one hundred eighty degrees and retrace his steps. The question tugged at him until he was running full speed back toward the castle.

He found Ben, Riley, and Tanya in the sitting room answering questions for Sadusky, but as he scanned the foyer and basement, he found no sign of the President.

"Mr. Howe," Sadusky said, causing Ian to turn around, "got a few questions for you."

"Not now. We need to get into that tunnel," Ian replied, descending the stairwell before Sadusky had a chance to reply. Eventually, he heard a second set of footsteps behind him, and he led Sadusky into the tunnel which brought him and a few others into his old basement.

"So, what's in this tunnel, Mr. Howe?" Sadusky asked after some time.

"Somewhere in the middle is a-" He tripped and, had he not caught himself, would've fallen flat on his face. "Body," he finished, struggling to his feet around the mass he'd tripped over in the darkness.

Sadusky flicked on a small lighter and knelt down next to the mass, which seemed to be hunched over an obvious border between smooth stone and what was basically a cave. There was a knife handle sticking out of the thing's neck. "Know who this is?" Sadusky asked.

"Gregory O'Malley, killed only a few hours ago by, believe it or not, the President of the United States," Ian replied evenly.

"You do realize I have questions, don't you?"

"I don't expect you to believe me."

Sadusky got to his feet and turned to face Ian. "Do you know where this tunnel starts?"

"Is this a rhetorical question?"

"No."

"Oh, good." Ian pointed off down the tunnel and added, "I can't be entirely sure, but somewhere in Freemasons' Hall."

"Sounds about right."

"You know about this?"

"Yes." Sadusky snapped the lid over his lighter, pocketed it, and turned back the way they had come. Ian followed close behind. "So where is he?"

"Who?"

"The President."

"I don't know. That's why I came back here. If he disappeared down the tunnel and found a way out onto the street, then we might never find him."

"Don't you worry, we'll find him. We found Ben."

"Yes, but finding Ben was relatively easy, and he let you find him. Don't expect the same results from the President."

"We don't."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"What happened?" Riley asked as soon as Ian and Sadusky walked into the sitting room.

"Well, the President's at large and it seems we're at a dead end of sorts with regard to the basement," Ian replied, taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs in the room. "At this point, I'd like to ask if anyone present at this very moment has any suggestions as to how we proceed."

"How about we just go home?" Tanya asked. "I'm beginning to wonder if this is an elaborate scheme by one or another or more than one party interested in causing our downfall in a treasure hunt to say they were the ones that found the treasure and came out on top. Maybe this time it's not worth it, all it is being a wild goose chase."

"As much as she sounds like my dad, it actually makes sense," Ben added.

"Well, good thing you're considering this, because based on that body in there, we have a murder scene," Sadusky said.

"Is there something I'm missing?"

"All you need to know right now is that there's a dead body in a tunnel under the streets of London. You don't know the person, and we need to begin an investigation immediately, as your friend here indicated that it wouldn't be long before the killer is off the map and back into the world of American politics."

"Seriously, who is it?"

"We'll explain on the way back," Tanya said. "Right now, let's just leave."

"Okay then."

"Fine by me," Riley added.

"When do we leave?" Ian asked.

NTNT

Tanya sighed and slouched back in her seat. The plane was already taking off, heading back toward Washington, D.C., and there was no way she was able to go back to London right at that moment.

Her fingers drifted over the compass around her neck, and she was tempted to rip it off, but what would she do with it? What could she do with it? She felt like she was saddled with this thing for the rest of her life, and finding out what it was supposed to lead to was becoming more and more mentally challenging. If there was a way to get rid of the Compass and all it represented, was she willing to do it? What if that was the only option? Would she still take it?

She was beginning to question her faith in the quest, but at least she had Ian and Riley, for however long that would last her. Then there was the problem of the President, who was God knows where by then, and there was Shaw's ghost, who still seemed to always be around, just like in life. Even more, there was the prison riot where Ian had been beaten to within a centimeter of his life, and she still had no idea who'd done it. She hadn't been contacted by the police for over two weeks regarding any progress, which led her at one point to suspect the worst: that the case had gone cold.

There were so many other things for her to deal with and worry about, so why was she worried about some stupid treasure which may or may not be at the end of what at first appeared to be a wild goose chase? Was it because of Ian? Riley? Ben? All three? None of the above? As she thought back on the events that led her down this road, she could only assume the correct answer was 'all three', with Riley having the largest and most predominant influence.

What went wrong? she asked herself. How did a simple, albeit dangerous treasure hunt end up like this? She wondered what had happened on the first treasure hunt, where at first Ian and Ben had teamed up to look for a ship in the middle of an ice field, and then, some time later, Ian's best friend, the mildest term for the relationship anyone could come up with, fell down a virtually bottomless hole in the ground only to die on impact, or of a heart attack from fright on the way down.

Not that Tanya intended to talk to Ian about it, at least, not yet.

Eventually, in spite of engine roar and the general ruckus of the passengers, she fell asleep.

NTNT

When the plane landed, Ian, rather than wake his sister, carried her off the plane himself, ready and willing to explain himself to any officials who asked about the scene. Fortunately none did, and he breezed through the check without event to meet Riley in the airport lobby. Ian soon caught sight of Viktor, Powell, and Phil, positioned close to the door, but not disturbingly so, and walked right over, Riley close behind.

"So, what's the story?" Viktor asked.

"There is none," Ian replied. "Nothing happened except a murder and an escape from justice."

The group walked out of the airport, following Powell to a black minivan. Once he unlocked it, Ian had the back door open and was laying Tanya on the floor across the width of the van, as well as he could. Riley hopped inside and lay across the middle seat. Phil sighed, climbed over Riley, and settled into the back seat. Viktor was a little more graceful, but he, too, climbed over to the back, leaving Ian and Powell to settle into the front.

As they drove home, the conversation between them was stilted. There were the usual pleasantries, such as "How was the flight?" and "How was the meeting?" These were answered with their usual stilted responses: "Fine," "Good," and "Alright," among others.

Riley watched Tanya stir, and he decided nothing would change if he shared the details of this drive with her when she woke up.

NTNT

About ten days after the dust settled, Ian was sitting at a table in the sun room, enjoying a nice cup of tea, when his phone rang. Gingerly, he set the cup down on its saucer and pulled his phone out of his pocket, giving the caller ID a brief glance before answering. "Hello, Ben."

"Hey, Ian. I just got back from a little trip to London to check out your basement. You've got a few hundred years of British history in there. What do you want me to do with it."

"Firstly, I want you to send everything to the United States and find a place for it all. Then, call me when it all arrives. I want to rifle through all that stuff."


End file.
